Singing for Survival: Capoeira History

Send us Fan Mail I sat down with Mestre Bengala to talk about the early days of Capoeira in the US, and his experience seeing the art and community evolve over the last few decades.  To learn more about Mestre Bengala's early life, check out this Reflections on Capoeira: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8GspctIa5U *Minor corrections from Mestre Bengala: - The first Capoeira encounter took pla...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we talk about the African roots of Capoeira. This is something we have touched upon in several episodes, but I wanted to take some time and talk about what we really mean when we say that. I think the best place to find clues is in other places in the African diaspora and here we will spend some time exploring those arts, and what their commonalities can teach us...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we take a much broader look at Capoeira history from the beginnings of the Transatlantic Slave Trade up until the modern era. This will hopefully give you a better sense of how the previous episodes fit within the broader context of the longer history!

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dig into the topic of syncretism: what is it, how does it manifest in the Americas, and why do we as Capoeiristas care about it? I'll talk about a few brief examples in both the United Status and in Central America before looking at the most relevant example to Capoeiristas: Candomble. If you have any questions or think I got anything wrong, don't hesi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I want to delve into a rebellion in the 1800s in Salvador Bahia that I haven't heard discussed very much at all in Capoeira circles I've been a part of. Looking into this rebellion, we can learn a lot about some of the ethnic and demographic changes that occurred throughout the slavery era of Brasil, and how that impacted various movements that were deve...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is a departure from the standard format of this podcast to revisit a topic we explored back in 2021, which is sexual abuse in capoeira. This remains an ongoing issue, and with this episode, where I am joined by Natasha Távora Baker (Pequena) of the Natasha Explains It All podcast, we hope to get listeners up to speed on what’s been happening since the last episode...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I collaborate with Natasha Távora Baker (Pequena) from the podcast Natasha Explains it All to talk about how organized labor actions led to the abolition of slavery in Fortaleza, 5 whole years before the passing of the Golden Law in 1888! We dig into a key figure in this process, Dragão do Mar, and also dig into the history and timeline of the abolition movement i...

Send us Fan Mail Paranaue is arguably the most popular and well known song in Capoeira, and it's probably the most well known Capoeira song to people outside of the art. It’s the song people sing as a joke when they can tell the people around them don't know the song they’re singing. But what is it that we are actually singing about? If you take a cursory look at the lyrics, it honestly...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I want to talk about arguably the most important instrument in the Capoeira bateria, the berimbau. The berimbau is an instantly recognizable symbol of Capoeira in the modern day, and in most circles is what leads the roda itself. At some point we all learn how to play this instrument and expect to see it in every roda we attend, but in some ways, there are question...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we take a look at apelidos: what are they, where do they come from, and how should we use them going forward? This is inspired by and informed from a survey of 75 Capoeiristas polled through the Capoeira sub-reddit on their experience with apelidos. I hope you enjoy and please send any comments and questions to mike.handslikefeet@gmail.com Song is Capoeira Proibid...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is not about a person or even a legend within Capoeira. Instead I want to talk about a Brazilian cultural folklore, Saci Perere. Saci is a figure that I have been vaguely aware of for some time. I’ve known several people who were nicknamed Saci, and have heard Saci mentioned in several songs, but wasn’t really aware of who or what he is. So in this episode we dig i...

Send us Fan Mail A very special episode where I collaborate with the folks from the Only the Strongest podcast to talk about Capoeira history! If you like this episode, please check them out here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3jw3OGIPDqc2jL8isOFHVD?si=d69e3054ab40433b As always, feel free to send me any questions, comments or stories at: mikepinto@comcast.net

Send us Fan Mail Super brief bonus episode while I work on the next main one. Here I share my thoughts on the importance of learning our "present histories" and how many figures we may consider historical are still dynamic, active, and changing. Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or stories at mikepinto@comcast.net

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode we will not be talking directly about Capoeira, but instead about a related Afro-Brazilian art that has become inextricably tied to Capoiera: Maculele. Most people who’ve been in Capoeira for some significant amount of time, have been at least exposed to Maculele, if not actively practiced it. It is a dance form of simulated combat with sticks, performed to a very...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s episode is going to be a complete departure from the previous format of this podcast. There will be no music, and we will not be talking about a specific person or a specific time period. Instead, we will be talking about the pervasive problems of sexual harassment and abuse in capoeira that recent news reports have once again highlighted. This is unfortunately not new new...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, I want to look at a few different related topics. When we discuss Capoeira history, particularly more modern history, we often focus on the events and people in Bahia, namely in Salvador. This is because many of the important figures responsible for the trajectory of Capoeira to today were from there: Besouro, Bimba, Pastinha, and Salvador brought Capoeira to n...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, we are going farther back in time than any of our previous episodes, back to the foundations of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in Western Africa. We are not talking about a Capoeirista, we aren’t even talking about a Brazilian, but instead someone who is hugely important to the resistance of foreign influence to African nations and cultures. We are talking about...

Send us Fan Mail The subject of today’s episode is Manuel Pereira, better known as Besouro Manganga. Besouro is one of if not the most famous figure in Capoeira history, and for many good reasons. Besouro was so legendary in his fighting prowess, that it was said both that he could shapeshift to escape capture and that he was mystically immune to all physical harm. He lived in a time when Capoeira...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode is about an extremely interesting legend in recent Capoeira history. We will be traveling to Rio de Janeiro in the early 1900's, only a few decades after slavery was abolished, and while Capoeira was still explicitly illegal. We are looking at a character who challenged what it meant to be a malandro, and really what it meant to be a man in Brasil at this...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we take a look at the histories of Dandara and Luisa Mahin, and discuss how institutional racism and sexism has affected how they are remembered and viewed today. Dandara is commonly known as the wife of Zumbi, and was a fierce warrior who helped defend the Palmares from the bandeirantes. She killed herself rather than be captured and is a powerful inspiration to m...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I go over some questions that were sent in about Lampiao and go over a song describing life in the sertao. It's nice to have another opportunity to look more into Lampiao and this unique region of Brazil! Send questions and suggestions to: desconfiado.mandinga@gmail.com Song lyrics: http://alacazum.blogspot.com/2010/01/na-161-edicao-do-programa-radiofonico.ht...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we look into the history of Virgulino Ferreira da Silva, also known as Lampião! Lampião is a very important folkloric hero of the Brazilian sertão, who is often seen as a Robin-Hood like figure. The full history of Lampião is significantly more complex, and sheds light on the culture of this region in the early 1900's. Tune in to hear the story of a veritable...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I go through a handful of questions that were sent in relating to our last episode on Zumbi and the Quilombos dos Palmares. These questions lead us to a lot of interesting places, such as African rooted arts in the Caribbean and present day Quilombos, and has opened up a lot of additional topics for us to go into in future episodes! I hope you enjoy this more casu...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive into the history of the Quilombos dos Palmares, as well as the most famous person to come from there, Zumbi! Here we will talk about how the Quilombos came to exist, and why the Palmares were so important to Brazilian and Capoeira history, before digging into who Zumbi was. This was a super fun topic for me to research, and I hope you enjoy it! Please send...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to my podcast! In this episode I introduce myself and the purpose of this podcast. I hope you'll join me to explore the people and music that have made Capoeira what it is today. My YT channel with movement tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzqSLX4lh8ljaYyTZSRAO7A/featured   Please email me with any suggestion or questions: desconfiado.mandinga@gmail.com